The public will get one more chance to discuss the plans for the renovation of the San Jacinto Plaza and how the construction will affect the area.

The city of El Paso's Engineering and Construction Management Department will have an open house Thursday at the El Paso Museum of History.

"We believe it is important to have one last meeting with the public to make sure they understand how the construction of the plaza will impact their pedestrian route, their businesses and how they normally commute around Downtown El Paso," said Martin Bartlett, spokesman for the city of El Paso's Engineering and Construction Management Department.

"So we are going to have a come-and-go format to discuss and answer any questions people have about how the construction will affect Downtown."

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Aaron Martinez

Construction has already started but the major parts of the project will begin within a few weeks, Bartlett said. The renovation of the plaza will be done in two parts and take a total of 16 to 18 months to complete. The first part of the project will be the expansion of the plaza, which will close 0the surrounding streets. The second part will be the actual renovation of the park.

"It is a two-part project and we want to make sure everyone knows what is in store for the area," Bartlett said. "It is going to have a big impact on people that drive and walk Downtown throughout the duration of the project."

The first part of the project will expand the plaza by 10 feet on all sides, said Javier Reyes, the city of El Paso's Engineering and Construction Management Department division manager.

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"First we will be expanding the park and then we will move in to making the actual renovations to it," Reyes said. "Included in the renovations will be new sidewalks, benches, landscaping, irrigation systems and several shade structures for people to sit under and to protect the statues and monuments from the sun. We will also add table tennis and chess courtyards."

The current state of the plaza has many El Pasoans wondering why it has taken so long to make renovations to it.

"The plaza desperately needs to be worked on," said Armando Lopez, a native El Pasoan who visits the plaza about twice a week. "The benches are old, sidewalks are falling apart and the grass has not been green in a long time. This is such an important place in the history of El Paso and it has not been taken care of. I am also glad they are starting to make changes to the area but they must not lose the history of this place."

While the new plan will have a dramatic impact on San Jacinto Plaza, Reyes stressed the importance of not losing the character of the historic landmark.

"It is important for us to keep the history of the park alive while expanding it. That is one of our main focuses," Reyes said. "There are several monuments that we are going to keep and they will generally be in the same place, but they will be more organized and with a walking path by them. We will also keep the Christmas tree there."

The look of Downtown El Paso is going to see major changes once the new baseball stadium is built, so it is important for the plaza to preserve the history of the area, said Bryan Crowe, assistant general manager of the El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"San Jacinto Plaza is a focal point of Downtown El Paso. As a whole, it is a great asset to the area and the city," Crowe said. "Downtown is going to be a lot different in the coming years, so it is vital that the plaza changes along with the rest of Downtown, but stays true to the incredible and vital history it has played in our city."

The total cost of the renovations will come out to about $5.3 million, Reyes said.

The money allocated to renovate the plaza is coming from a quality of life bond that was approved by El Pasoans last November.

The rest of the funds will come from the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone fund, which are special zones created by City Council to attract new investment in certain areas, Bartlett said.

"Voters made it very clear when they went to the polls last November that they were very excited about investing in the park and investing in open space," Bartlett said. "This is just one of the areas that we can use that optimism about El Paso's future to restore something that historically has been an incredibly important part of this community's past."

While Lopez agrees it is important for the city to renovate the plaza, he doesn't agree with the price tag attached to the project.

"It is going to cost way too much," Lopez said. "Yes, San Jacinto needs work but not at a crazy price. They are wasting too much money when they could fix this place up with less than half of what they are planning to use. Let's hope it will bring in tourists and money like they say it will because that is a lot to spend to fix a small park."

Aaron Martinez may be reached at aamartinez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6249. Follow him on Twitter @Amartinez31